Semler Scientific Doubles Down on Bitcoin Despite $42 Million Loss

This loss was likely due to the broader market downturn, but Semler is still committed to its crypto strategy. The company even plans on raising $500 million for corporate purposes including more Bitcoin purchases. Meanwhile, Brazilian fintech firm Meliuz proposed making Bitcoin its primary treasury asset, sparking a 27% surge in its stock price. Despite these moves into crypto, tech stocks took a hit. Nvidia and AMD shares fell sharply after Nvidia revealed it expects $5.5 billion in charges due to new US export restrictions on its AI chips to China. Bitcoin Slump Hits Semler Scientific Healthcare technology company Semler Scientific recently revealed big paper losses on its Bitcoin holdings during the first quarter of 2025 due to the broader cryptocurrency market correction. According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 15, the firm reported an unrealized loss of approximately $41.8 million from changes in the fair value of its Bitcoin holdings since the end of December. As of March 31, Semler held 3,182 BTC valued at around $263.5 million, with the price of Bitcoin dropping 12% from $93,500 at the start of the year to $82,350 by the end of the quarter. The full correction extended further into April as well, with Bitcoin falling more than 30% from its all-time high to under $75,000. At press time, BTC was trading hands at $83,606 after its price fell by just over 2% over the past 24 hours of trading. Despite the losses, Semler is still committed to its Bitcoin investment strategy. CEO Doug Murphy-Chutorian previously talked about the company’s focus on acquiring and holding Bitcoin while continuing to support innovation in healthcare. Semler ranks as the twelfth largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, which places it ahead of firms like Hong Kong-based Boyaa Interactive International, according to data from Bitbo . Largest corporate holders of Bitcoin (Source: Bitbo ) Financially, Semler reported expected revenues of between $8.8 million and $8.9 million and operating losses of $1.3 million to $1.5 million for the first quarter. It also disclosed holding approximately $10 million in cash and cash equivalents. In addition, the company revealed it reached an agreement in principle to pay nearly $30 million to settle claims tied to a Department of Justice civil investigation. In a separate SEC filing on the same day, Semler outlined plans to raise up to $500 million through the sale of securities. The company plans to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, including more Bitcoin purchases. The firm also pointed out that its stock , which trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker SMLR, has experienced high volatility and declined 36% since the beginning of the year. Semler Scientific YTD stock price (Source: Google Finance ) Meliuz Makes Bitcoin Its Strategic Asset Despite the big losses suffered by companies like Semler Scientific, many companies are still interested in adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets. Brazilian fintech company Meliuz proposed a plan to expand its Bitcoin holdings and designate the cryptocurrency as a strategic asset in its treasury. The company is known for its cashback and financial technology services, and outlined the initiative in an April 14 statement . There is also a shareholder meeting scheduled for May 6 to vote on the proposal. While Meliuz explained that its core business operations will remain unchanged, it pointed out that cash generation from its business activities is crucial to supporting ongoing Bitcoin acquisitions. If approved, Bitcoin will become the firm’s primary treasury asset, with Meliuz also exploring additional ways to generate Bitcoin for shareholders through operational income and strategic initiatives. To accommodate investors, the company allowed shareholders who held their stock before April 14 and who oppose the new direction to request reimbursement. However, the market responded positively to the news, and Meliuz shares (CASH3) jumped by over 14% in the trading session after the announcement was made. Over the last five days, the company’s stock surged more than 27%. Meliuz stock price over the past 5 days (Source: Google Finance ) Meliuz made its first Bitcoin purchase in March of 2025 when it bought 45 BTC for approximately $4.1 million after its board authorized using up to 10% of company cash for the asset. This move placed Meliuz among a growing number of public companies adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets. According to crypto investment firm Bitwise, publicly traded firms collectively increased their Bitcoin holdings by 16.1% in the first quarter of the year after purchasing roughly 95,431 BTC and raising the total corporate holdings to about 688,000 Bitcoin. Meliuz was one of 12 new entrants to adopt Bitcoin during this period. Meanwhile, Bitcoin advocate Michael Saylor and his firm Strategy are still boosting their position in the cryptocurrency market. On April 14, the company added 3,459 BTC to its treasury in a transaction worth $285.5 million. Nvidia and AMD Stocks Slide on AI Chip Restrictions While crypto is boosting the stock prices of some companies, chipmaking leaders Nvidia and AMD experienced sharp declines in after-hours trading after a disclosure by Nvidia that US export restrictions on artificial intelligence chips to China will have a huge financial impact. In a regulatory filing that was submitted on April 15, Nvidia revealed that it expects to incur charges of up to $5.5 billion in its upcoming first-quarter report, which ends April 27. These charges are related to inventory, purchase commitments, and reserves for its H20 AI chips and other components with comparable bandwidth capabilities, which are now subject to new export license requirements. The US government notified Nvidia on April 9 that licenses will be needed for the export of H20 chips and similar products to China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Authorities are concerned that such chips could be diverted for use in Chinese supercomputers. The H20 is currently the most advanced AI chip Nvidia is permitted to sell to China under earlier restrictions. The new controls come due to scrutiny over the use of these chips by Chinese firms like AI startup DeepSeek. Despite a brief pause in the restrictions earlier this month after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the renewed enforcement triggered concerns among investors. Nvidia responded by announcing plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to manufacture some AI chips in the United States over the next four years. Still, the market reaction has been quite negative. Nvidia share price YTD (Source: Google Finance ) Nvidia shares dropped 6% to $105 in after-hours trading on April 15, bringing its year-to-date loss to 16%. The decline also reflects the broader market worries amid an escalating trade conflict that was fueled by Trump’s aggressive stance on tariffs. AMD, Nvidia’s main competitor, also felt the pressure, with its stock falling over 7% to $88.55 after hours. The company’s shares declined by more than 25% since the start of the year.

Source: Coinpaper